Sunday, September 30, 2012

Born in Chicago on October 6, 1999, Dante Brown’s big break came at the tender
age of 5 when he beat out 500 other children to be showcased as a dancer,
comedian and actor on Oprah’s 1st “Amazing Kids” show. A self-taught
dancer who learned by watching Michael Jackson, Usher and Chris
Brown’s Youtube videos, Brown’s amazing moves have been compared to that of a
young Usher.

Dante can also beatbox, rap, play
piano by ear and make beats. With his younger brother, Dusan, he performs as a
duo known as “The Brown Boys.” The siblings released their first album at 10
and 8, and have opened for such notable acts as the New Boyz, DJ Tha Pope and
Trey Songz.

Here, he talks about starring
opposite Viola Davis in Won’t Back Down, an
inspirational tale of female empowerment about a teacher and a
single-mom who join forces to improve a grammar school.

DB: When my agent sent
over the sides for my audition on the tape, the project was originally named
Still I Rise. I immediately thought of Maya Angelou's poem and was very
interested in getting to know my character more, as well as the story. My
name means poetic, so it's ironic that I love poetry, and I was like, “Wow,
interesting movie! [LOL] Then I read the sides and the character was very
different than me. But since the movie is a drama, and I love drama, I wanted
to nail my audition to make sure I got a callback and be strongly considered
for the role. So, it was a combination of all those things that initially
interested me in Won't Back Down. And, oh yeah, for callbacks, I had to
read the entire script before auditioning with the director, Mr. Daniel Barnz.
By then, I knew that the message would be very powerful and I definitely wanted
to be a part of this.

KW: What was it like to work opposite Viola Davis as your mother, and with
the rest of such an accomplished cast?

DB: Working with
Mrs. Davis... it was a joy! She was funny. She gave me tips and also helped me
understand the importance of "being in the scene," so I could hold up
to her star quality. She was very approachable and down to earth, so it
made working with her very easy. She sort of reminds me of my Mom, so I
never felt like I had to act, but simply be her son for the time being, while
shooting the movie. Whenever I'd goof around, she'd have no problem with
me either, in a nice way, of course. [Chuckles] I still keep in contact with
her and will always look at her as an amazing actress that I was privileged to
work with and get to know. As for working with the entire cast, it was like I
was playing in the NBA All-Star game. [LOL] It showed me how great things can
happen when you apply yourself and believe in yourself. Being in their
presence taught me that hard work and dedication pay off and one day I hope to
be able to share my on-set experience and knowledge with newcomers. Overall,
everyone was really nice and fun to work with and being a part of such a
talented cast forced me to bring my A-game, too.

KW: How would you describe your character, Cody?

DB: My character, Cody Alberts, is the son of Nona[played by Viola Davis] and Charles Alberts [played by Mr.
Lance Reddick]. Cody has a learning disability and, during a pivotal point
in the movie, you'll learn the cause of his learning disorder. He's sort
of a quiet kid, gets bullied at school, doesn't have any friends, and the kids
pick on him by calling him names and stuff.

KW: You were named one of the All-Time Amazing Kids by Oprah. Did that make
it hard to dumb yourself down to play an academically-challenged child?

DB: No, it didn't make
it hard because as an actor I've learned to pull traits and characteristics
from friends at school, relatives, by watching YouTube videos, other characters
in other movies, etcetera. So, although I'm not like Cody at all, it took
a lot of preparation and research to prepare emotionally for my audition and
scenes as Cody. But that's what we do as actors and that's the gift God
blessed me with, an ability to relate to people, and to actually become the
characters I hope to play. Transforming into someone else.... I love it!

KW:
How would you describe you and your brother, Dusan's, debut CD, Here Come The
Brown Boys?

DB: Fun! Exciting! Entertaining! Our
CD has 11 songs, a little something for everyone. We get calls and
messages from family and friends all the time telling us how catchy the songs
are, how our friends and cousins enjoy listening on car rides to and from
school, and just how proud they are of this project. Kids love it and
adults, too. We actually have some dope beats on it and some great
lyrics. We love performing songs from our CD and look forward to making
more music in the future. We like making the type of music that inspires people.
We've performed at schools and churches. The CD is good, kid-friendly music
that can be performed anywhere. Shout out to my parents for executive-producing
the album and Mr. Spike Rebel for producing and helping us tremendously with
our first project. We look forward to our next album. Oh yeah, and stay
tuned for the 8 year-old singing sensation Jayda B's new hit, “I Rock My Tutu."
She invited us to collaborate and it's hot! The video should be coming out soon,
and the single will be available on iTunes as well.

KW:
You have been blessed with many talents. Which is your favorite way to perform:
acting, rapping, singing, dancing or playing piano?

ME: That's kind of
tough, but I'd have to say acting because it's just so much fun being able to
be someone else when auditioning for different roles and then working on set. But
most definitely rapping, too. What I enjoy about rapping is being able to
express myself with words. The Bible says that our words are very
powerful. I like being able to spit hot bars and see the surprised
reaction of people and hearing them say, "Wow, did that just come from a
kid?" So, both acting and rapping allow me to tell stories and, like
most people, I love a good story!

KW: Where do you go to school? Or are you homeschooled?

DB: I attend a great
middle school in The Valley. I hope you understand that I can’t say which one for
security reasons. But I love going to school, being in a traditional
school atmosphere, having immediate access to my teachers, when needed, and interacting
with my friends and playing sports. And I plan to attend regular school so
long as I can balance everything and thrive while preparing for college.

KW: What do you do for fun?

DB: Fun? I'm the type
of person that loves to have fun! So, I can turn any situation into a fun
environment fun for me. I have fun going to school and auditioning, and even
more fun when I'm on set. I have fun at home with my little brother, I have fun
wrestling and fishing with my Dad. I have fun at church. I have fun when
our family has movie nights at home or movie dates at the theater. But
particularly my weekends, here in L.A.,
are generally free and I love living a very active lifestyle. So, we're rarely
home. I'll either hang out with my friends for a while or go play basketball,
swim, go to the movies, participate in The Looking Ahead Program, watch YouTube
videos, work on my rap music or make beats, or even play NBA 2K12 - My Player
Mode.

KW:
The Teri Emerson question: When was the last time you had a good laugh?

DB: Just now! [LOL] My
little brother just flew in from L.A. to be with
us for my movie premiere here at home in Chicago. I
haven't seen him in about a week, but he's hysterical, such a funny guy. He keeps
me rolling! I laugh a lot. Laughing is good for the soul, my Mom says, so
I must have an amazing soul, as much as I love to laugh. [LOL]

KW: What is your guiltiest pleasure?

DB: Candy!
Twizzlers in particular. [Laughs] Yummy for my tummy!

KW:
The Michael Ealy question: If you could meet any historical figure, who would
it be?

KW: The bookworm Troy Johnson question: What was the last book you read?

DB: “The Barcode Tattoo”
by Suzanne Weyn.

KW:
The music maven Heather Covington question: What was the last song you listened
to?

DB: “Diamonds of Sierra Leone”
by Kanye West, the clean version, of course.

KW:
What is your favorite dish to cook?

DB: Mostly breakfast
foods. I'm still learning dinner dishes, but for now my fave dishes to cook are
omelettes and French toast.

KW: When you look in the mirror, what do you see?

DB: A young man with a
desire to make a positive impact on the world by using the gifts God has
blessed him with. I see a nice guy that enjoys people, a happy person
enjoying life.

KW: If you could have one wish instantly granted, what would that be for?

DB: Oh, I know, I
know. To be the President of the United States... just for one day,
though. I think it would be pretty cool being able to represent our country in
the highest available office.

KW:
The Ling-Ju Yen question: What is your earliest childhood memory?

DB: Ooh... let me
think. [LOL] Cutting a huge hole in my little brother's hair. I think
I was probably about 3 or 4 and he was 1 or 2. In my mind, I was pretending to
be my Dad, who's a barber, but things didn't quite go as planned, as they do
when my Dad cuts his clients’ hair. [Laughs some more] My brother ended up
having to get all of his afro cut off, the lowest his hair's ever been. And my
Dad wasn't a happy camper.

KW: The Kerry Washington question: If you were an animal, what animal would
you be?

DB: That's easy, a
Lion, because he's the king of the jungle and nobody can stop him or get in his
way. He's fearless, yet loyal to his pride.

KW: The Toure question: Who is the person who helped you to become the
person you are today?

DB: Definitely, my
parents. I don't really have one person, because they both help equally to
develop me, guide me, support me and keep me on the straight and narrow path.

KW: The Judyth Piazza question: What key quality do you believe all
successful people share?

DB: They all have
"something" that drives them to be hard workers… a passion for their
goals. And they also appear to be very focused on achieving their
dreams. As my Mom had a successful corporate career and my Dad is a
successful entrepreneur, I would have to say for me and my family, visualizing
our accomplishments, taking small steps, daily, and putting God first.

KW:
What advice do you have for anyone who wants to follow in your footsteps?

DB: Alright, read a
whole bunch of books and pray! This way,
you'll become an exceptional reader, as well as learn how to fully comprehend
and interpret the many scripts that you may receive. Stay true to yourself. Don't
let anyone tell you, you can't do it. Maintain your inner confidence and for
the details, contact my Mom. You can visit her website [ www.MomagersRock.com] because she's helped a lot of moms get
their kids started in the business and she has a very, very long note there on
that website, spelling out exactly what she did to get me and my little brother
started. The key part to this is prayer. I hold this part sacred and
don't really share this with any and everybody, but I do feel it's necessary to
spread the truth about what I find most valuable. I'd tell other kids
wanting to become an actor, to ask God to direct your path and if this is His
goal for your life, then He will open doors for you.

KW: The Tavis Smiley question: How do you want to be remembered?

DB: I want to be
remembered as a good person. Someone who people enjoy being around.
That person that inspires you and has a light about him that you just can't put
your finger on, but makes you feel good when you're in his presence. I
also want to be remembered as a true professional of the entertainment industry,
as a sharp thinker and creative. As a hard-working, yet fun person that
people love and that loves to have fun. People often refer to me as a young
Denzel. I think that would be great to follow in his footsteps as an actor. Although
I haven't met him yet, he seems like a very classy man, so being referred as a
younger him, I think is a huge compliment.

KW: Thanks again for the time, Dante, and best of luck with the film.

DB: Thank you, Mr.
Williams. Thank you. It was fun doing this interview. Good questions
and I appreciate your taking the time to interview me.

This article about a miscarriage of justice is by Kathy Ancar, an editor and good friend of mine.

Florida
man gets 20 years in state prison for shooting car

By
Kathy Ancar

As he did every Saturday night
for the previous four years, on August 20, 2011, single dad Joseph A. Blaine Dejoie
IV, prepared for work while his seven-year-old daughter played nearby.Joseph’s custody agreement called for his
daughter to be picked up by her mother, Dina Moreno West, from Joseph’s place
of employment on Saturday nights. Two days prior, Mr. Dejoie testified against
Mr. & Mrs. West in custody court, where he sought more time with his
daughter.

On this particular Saturday
evening, Joseph’s father (Joseph Dejoie III) received a telephone call from
Mrs. West asking, “Are you home?”Finding this strange, Mr. Dejoie III immediately called his son and
warned him to be careful during the handoff.Mr. Dejoie III had reason to be concerned by the call because Mr.& Mrs. West had a longstanding history of
threatening his son. Mr. West, in particular, had on more than one occasion
threatened to shoot Mr. Dejoie. This fact has been corroborated by Mr. Dejoie,
III, who repeatedly mediated discussions between the Wests and his son.

As they spoke, Joseph told his
father, “It’s okay Dad.She’s pulling up
now, and she’s alone. I’ll call you back in a minute.” When several minutes passed
with no call from his son, Mr. Dejoie III called his son’s cell phone. After
repeated attempts to reach his son failed, the call was finally answered – by a
Pensacola Police Department officer, who informed Mr. Dejoie III that his son
had just shot Marcus West, his daughter’s stepfather.

When he arrived on the scene,
Mr. Dejoie III learned that just as he and his son hung up their phones, Marcus
West pulled up in his car, charged across the lawn, shoved and forcefully bore
his forefinger into Joseph’s forehead, and began arguing about the custody
hearing. Attempting to avoid the situation escalating further, Joseph ordered
Mr. West to leave.Several neighbors
testified that they did indeed hear a man yell, “Get off my lawn,” several
times. Mrs. West also pleaded with her husband to leave, to no avail. Mr. West
ignored his wife’s pleas, and in fact, according to Mr. Dejoie, cursed her and
pushed her into her car when she attempted to intervene.According to Joseph Dejoie, and neighbors who
witnessed the scene, West then claimed to have “something that will blow you
and your house down!”

At this point, only after
repeated demands that Marcus West leave his property, Joseph pulled a handgun
from his belt and again ordered Mr. West off his lawn.Mr. West leaned over and reached into his
car, and Joseph fired his weapon, hitting Mr. West in the legs and buttocks.Only then did Mr. West get into the car.
Joseph, fearing that Mr. West was now inside the vehicle where he said he had a
weapon, ordered him to show his hands. Mr. West continued to rummage under his
seat, so Joseph shot again, hitting the car, but not Mr. West. Mr. West fled
the scene. Joseph called 911, as had several neighbors before shots rang out,
who reported hearing a loud argument between a man and a woman. Joseph remained
on the phone with the operator until police arrived. Officers arrived on the
scene within minutes.

After speaking with Joseph, the
first officer on the scene said to him that this appeared to be a clear-cut
case of self-defense. After all, Joseph was assaulted on his own front lawn.
However, continued the officer, it all depends on how it is written up in the
police report.

The investigator, who did not
interview all the witnesses, “summarized” the statements of those she did
interview. Neighbors who had called police came outside to tell what they heard
and saw, only to be told to go back inside. As a result, Joseph was arrested!
Not only that, the attacker, Mr. West, who was treated and released from the
hospital two days later, was never charged or arrested. Remember, Mr. West came
onto Mr. Dejoie’s lawn, threatened him, struck him, assaulted his own wife, and
gave conflicting statements that did not match those of several witnesses.
However, Joseph was charged with aggravated battery and firing a weapon into an
occupied vehicle. His charge was later elevated to attempted murder. Joseph’s dad, an Escambia County Sheriff,
asked the prosecuting attorney why the state attorney was pursuing these
charges, when it was clearly self-defense. According to Mr. Dejoie, the prosecuting
attorney responded that it was out of his hands, and that his orders “from
above” were to push this case hard.

During his trial, despite the
witnesses’ testimonies verifying that Mr. West was clearly the aggressor, the
jury found Joseph not guilty of attempted murder, but guilty of firing into an
occupied vehicle. For that charge, Joseph IV faced 20 years in state prison.
What!? NOT GUILTY for shooting a man, but 20 YEARS, under the 10-20-Life Law, for
shooting a car?

This gets even better. Under
Florida law, the prosecutor, NOT THE JUDGE, is the only person eligible to
waive the mandatory minimum!*

Upon learning this, family and
friends of Joseph wrote letters to the prosecutor pleading for leniency. The
victim, Marcus West, when interviewed by the pre-sentencing PSI, said that he
did not want Joseph to go to prison, stating that the only person to suffer if
her dad went to prison would be Joseph’s daughter, De’Ana Moreno Dejoie. The
PSI requested that Mr. Dejoie be given a reduced sentence, stating that he did
not deserve to go to prison at all for this, as it was clearly self-defense. Their
pleas fell on deaf ears. At the July 5, 2012 sentencing, Joseph’s parents spoke
on his behalf.Joseph read a prepared
statement during which he admitted to shooting Mr. West, but reiterated that
his sole intention was to defend himself and his daughter from imminent danger.

The judge stated that he
believed this was an unfortunate incident that had been brewing for a long time
and finally reached a boiling point. He asked the prosecutor if he wished to
waive the mandatory minimum, which the prosecutor refused to do. Of course he
refused to waive the mandatory minimum. It looks good for his office when he
sends the “bad guys” away for a very long time. But, this was not a bad guy.

Joseph Dejoie was employed and
paying child support. He was also a fulltime student, who was in court fighting
for MORE CUSTODY TIME with his daughter just two days prior to this incident.
Additionally, he was on his own front lawn. He did not go out looking for
trouble; trouble came to his front door, and he defended himself.

It is ill-fated when citizens,
in an effort to curtail crime, vote in favor of flawed laws that grant the
power to determine a person’s fate to a prosecuting attorney rather than to the
judge. Why do we even need a judge to preside over criminal cases if his only
power is in ruling in favor of or against objections on the parts of the
opposing attorneys?

Joseph Dejoie IV plans to
appeal the ruling. In the meantime, he has been sentenced to the mandatory
minimum of 20-years in state prison FOR SHOOTING A CAR. This is a
travesty. This man is not a career criminal. He is a victim, who in
self-defense shot an attacker below the waist, and his wounds were not life
threatening. As a result of the prosecutor’s decision to sentence him to the
mandatory minimum, his daughter, who was accustomed to speaking to her dad
every single day, and being with him four days each week, will not hug him
again until she is 28 years-old.

Until citizens stand up to
these injustices and blatant abuses of power at the hands of elected officials,
we will lose many more men like Joseph Dejoie to the system, and more little
girls will suffer the trauma of having their daddies ripped from their lives
and their hearts. We cannot let that happen.

If you wish to reach out to Mr. Dejoie, there
are several ways to help his case and at the same time, make your voice heard.

When he was alive, Joseph Fisher never
shared with his children any of his experiences while being interned in concentration
camps during World War II. So, you might imagine their surprise to find a diary
recounting his nightmarish ordeal among his personal effects after he passed
away.

Only one of his offspring, David, could
bring himself to read the memoir, a heartbreaking account of a struggle to
maintain sanity in the face of unspeakable horrors ranging from forced labor to
starvation to torture to rape to cannibalism to murder. The incredibly
revealing reflections (“It’s as if you have no skin to protect you.”)
posthumously erased an emotional boundary that had existed between the son and
his understandably-traumatized, if emotionally-distant parent.

David immediately felt compelled to
travel to Europe to retrace his dad’s footsteps from Auschwitz
to Gusen to Gunskirchen. And he soon succeeded in convincing his very hesitant
siblings to join him on the trek. The upshot of that undertaking is Six Million and One,
as moving a documentary about the Holocaust as one is ever apt to encounter.

At the site of the death camps, we
hear poignant passages from Joseph Fisher’s journal about being ordered to
remove bodies of other prisoners from the extermination block and about having
to eat grass and snails to stay alive. He also talks about how, upon being
liberated, “I felt guilty about surviving. I’ve felt this way all my life.”

By film’s end, expect to weep as
much as all four Fisher kids. A bittersweet tale of survival, as well as a
priceless history lesson for the ages illustrating man’s capacity for inhumanity
to his fellow man.

Friday, September 28, 2012

Johnny Depp
Does Barnabas Collins in Nostalgic Adaptation of Classic TV Show

Dark Shadows was a daytime soap
opera which originally aired at 4 PM on ABC-TV on weekday afternoons from 1966
to 1971. What made the program unique for the romance genre was its Gothic
storyline revolving around Barnabas Collins, a 200 year-old vampire as earnest
in his search for blood as for a reunion with his long-lost love, Josette.

The television series built a big
cult following among kids who never took the show’s fright fare seriously, but
merely enjoyed it as a mindless diversion designed to help them unwind after a
long day at school. It is with that same lighthearted spirit in mind that Tim
Burton apparently approached the screen version of Dark Shadows.

Set
in 1972, this costume dramedy that offers a walk down Memory Lane courtesy of
such best-forgotten staples of the era as Lava lamps, macramé and plastic
fruit. It also features bell-bottomed Flower Children driving a Volkswagen bus
while listening to rock anthems like “Nights in White Satin,” and “Season of
the Witch.”

At
the point of departure, we meet Victoria Winters (Bella Heathcote) en route to Collinsport, Maine
to apply for a position as governess at Collinwood Manor. Meanwhile, elsewhere
in the quiet coastal village, construction workers at an excavation site
unwittingly unleash an undead monster by cutting the bolts keeping Barnabas’
(Depp) cast-iron casket sealed tight.

Both
Barnabas and Victoria descend on the sprawling Collins estate, only to find the
mansion in a dire state of disrepair due to the decline of the family’s
fortune. The place is presently presided over by imperious matriarch, Elizabeth
(Michelle Pfeiffer) who lords it over an
assemblage of oddballs: her spoiled-rotten daughter, Carolyn (Chloe Moretz);
her ne’er-do-well brother, Roger (Jonny Lee Miller); his troubled son, David
(Gulliver McGrath); a live-in shrink (Helena Bonham Carter); and a couple of
creepy servants (Jackie Earle Haley and Ray Shirley).

The
ensuing mix of slapstick violence and tongue-in-cheek humor is often amusing,
nostalgic and clever but never really rises to the level of laugh out loud funny.
This Johnny Depp vehicle benefits most from his bloodthirsty character
Barnabas’ deadpan delivery, as when he mistakenly salivates over gobs of red
goo undulating around a Lava lamp.

The Paperboy (R for violence, profanity and
graphic sexuality) Oscar-nominee Lee Daniels (for Precious) directed this crime
thriller revolving around a big city reporter (Matthew McConaughey) who returns
to his tiny Florida hometown to try to exonerate a Death Row inmate (John
Cusack) with the help of his brother (Zac Efron), a colleague (David Oyelowo)
and a sultry groupie (Nicole Kidman) With Macy Gray, Ned Bellamy and Scott
Glenn.

Taken 2 (PG13 for sensuality, action sequences
and intense violence) Principal cast reunites for this adrenaline-fueled sequel
which finds retired CIA Agent Mills (Liam Neeson) vacationing with his ex-wife
(Famke Janssen) in Istanbul
where they end up abducted by a revenge-minded gang of Albanian sex
traffickers. With Maggie Grace, Rade Serbedzija, Leland Orser and Luenell.

Butter (R for profanity and sexuality) Social
satire, set in small-town Iowa,
about a young, adopted girl (Yara Shahidi) who squares-off against an ambitious
housewife (Jennifer Garner) in the annual butter-carving competition. Cast
includes Hugh Jackman, Olivia Wilde and Alicia Silverstone.

Fat Kid Rules the World (R for sexuality, drug
use and brief violence) Coming-of-age comedy about an overweight, suicidal 17
year-old (Jacob Wysocki) who forms a rock band with the street musician (Matt
O’Leary) who saved his life by stopping him from jumping in front of a bus.
With Billy Campbell, LILi Simmons and Jeffrey Doombos.

The House I Live in (Unrated) War on Drugs
documentary takes a penetrating look at the human rights implications of the
American criminal justice system’s incarceration of over 45 million
non-violent, narcotics offenders since 1971.

The Oranges (R for profanity, sexual references
and drug use) Romantic comedy, set in suburban N.J., about the strain placed on
two couples’ close friendshipwhen one
husband (Hugh Laurie) has a scandalous affair with the other’s (Oliver Platt)
daughter (Leighton Meester). With Catherine Keener, Allison Janney, Alia
Shawkat and Adam Brody.

Pitch Perfect (PG-13 for sexuality, profanity
and drug use) Musical comedy about a college freshman (Anna Kendrick) who
overhauls the repertoire of her all-girl singing group in preparation for a big
showdown on campus with an all-male rival ensemble in an a cappella
competition. Featuring Brittany Snow, Rebel Wilson and Skylar Astin.

V/H/S (R for gory violence, graphic nudity,
explicit sexuality, drug use and pervasive profanity) Found footage horror
flick about a gang of crooks who get the surprise of their lives after agreeing
to break into a dilapidated house in the middle of nowhere to find a videotape
for an anonymous third party. Starring Calvin Reeder, Lane Hughes and Adam
Wingard.

Sister (Unrated) Class-conscious drama, set in Switzerland,
about a 12 year-old mountain urchin (Kacey Mottet Klein) who supports himself
and his big sister (Lea Seydoux) by stealing from wealthy guests at a posh ski
resort. With Gillian Anderson, Martin Compston and Simon Guelat. (In French and
English with subtitles)

Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You
(Unrated) Introspective character study about a Brown university-bound high
school grad (Toby Regbo) who spends a summer of discontent talking about his
troubles to his grandmother (Ellen Burstyn) and psychotherapist (Lucy Liu).
Support cast includes Marcia Gay Harden, Peter Gallagher and Deborah Ann Woll.

Trade of Innocents (PG-13 for mature themes and
violence) International thriller about a couple (Dermot Mulroney and Mira
Sorvino) grieving the death of their daughter who venture to Southeast
Asia to rescue young girls caught up in child prostitution. With
John Billingsley, Trieu Tran and Kieu Chinh.

Wuthering Heights (Unrated) Screen
adaptation of the Emily Bronte classic about the love which blossoms between an
orphan (James Howson) and the teenage daughter (Kaya Scodelario) of the Yorkshire farmer (Paul Hilton) who adopts him, much to
the chagrin of the girl’s overprotective brother (Lee Shaw). With Solomon
Glave, Shannon Beer and Simone Jackson.

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

In 2010, California passed the
nation’s first “Parent Trigger Law,” a bill which enables a neighborhood with an
underperforming public school to fire the principal, replace the staff and
convert it to a charter, provided a majority of the parents with students
attending it sign a petition. The legislation has proved very controversial thus
far, with opponents alleging that the measure is merely anti-union, whereas the
sponsors call it an overdue reform intended to give kids stuck in so-called “dropout
factories” a fair chance.

Consequently, Won’t Back Down is
opening under a cloud of controversy, which is unfortunate since the film is
otherwise a quite engaging and entertaining tale of female empowerment. The
reason why the picture has generated so much suspicion is that it was produced
by Walden Media, the same studio that just a couple of years ago released
Waiting for Superman, an incendiary documentary that came under attack for blaming
teachers’ unions for the broken educational system.

Although based on actual events that
transpired in Los Angeles, Won’t Back Down is set in the City of Pittsburgh,
where we find an exasperated Jamie Fitzpatrick (Maggie
Gyllenhaal) struggling
to just to survive. Between selling used cars by day and bartending at night,
the single-mom barely has any energy left to attend to the academic needs of
her dyslexic daughter, Malia (Emily Alyn Lind).

Convinced that the lagging 8 year-old
hasn’t learned to read out of neglect, she enters the little girl in a lottery
for one of the few coveted spots opening up at Rosa Parks, a highly-regarded,
nearby charter school. But when Malia’s name isn’t called, the frustrated
mother decides to do something about the school they’re still stuck with.

Inspired by the state’s new “Fail
Safe Law,” Jamie morphs into a tireless child advocate hell-bent on wresting the
reins of control from an administration and staff with low expectations. Along
the way, she enlists the assistance of Nona Alberts (Viola Davis), a jaded
teacher who had all but gone to acceptance.

Initially, Nona is reluctant to get
involved, because she could very easily get blacklisted for trying to bust the
union. Furthermore, she’s an emotional wreck, being overwhelmed by the prospect
of having to raise her son (Dante Brown) on her own in the wake of her
estranged husband’s (Lance Reddick) recent departure.

Nevertheless, Jamie and Nona bond
and, over the objections of bureaucrats, not only garner the requisite number
of parental votes but even talk the teachers into surrendering job security for
performance-based salaries. An uplifting, overcoming the odds Hollywood saga
suggesting that the solution to public education’s host of woes might be as
simple as a couple of women on the verge of a nervous breakdown picking up
picket signs.

In the tradition of Norma Rae and Erin
Brockovich, say hello to Jamie Fitzpatrick and Nona Alberts!

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The Sly Fox Film Reviews

KamWilliams.com

The Sly Fox Film Reviews publishes the content of film critic Kam Williams. Voted Most Outstanding Journalist of the Decade by the Disilgold Soul Literary Review in 2008, Kam Williams is a syndicated film and book critic who writes for 100+ publications around the U.S., Europe, Asia, Africa, Canada and the Caribbean. He is a member of the New York Film Critics Online, the NAACP Image Awards Nominating Committee and Rotten Tomatoes.

In addition to a BA in Black Studies from Cornell, he has an MA in English from Brown, an MBA from The Wharton School, and a JD from Boston University. Kam lives in Princeton, NJ with his wife and son.